Victor was sold to the Confederate States of America as the raider CSS Rappahannock, but she was interned by the French at Calais and never fulfilled her intended function.

Designed in 1855, the Intrepid-class gunvessels were intended to serve in the shallow waters of the Black and Baltic seas during the Crimean War.

[3] They were built quickly, and of inferior wood, which explains their short lifespan of 10 years.

A two-cylinder horizontal single-expansion steam engine produced between 930 indicated horsepower (690 kW) and 1,302 ihp (971 kW) through a single screw, giving a speed of about 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h).

[1] The vessels of the class were designed to be barque-rigged,[2] which required less manpower than the traditional full-rigged ship.